empatheias | open-ish

Entry tags:

open-ish

Who: Riku and others
Where: Around Verens
When: Middle of the month
Format: [ like this ]
open-ish
Summary: Just a gloomy gus needing some fresh air. Closed prompts will be top-leveled, open prompts free to anyone.

( TREE OF MEMORIES )
[ This place isn't anywhere that Riku has been before, though he's heard of it, somewhat. It's basically a tree that holds petals of memories from all those who come near it... or who inhabit the island... one of the two? Maybe both? Regardless, he's here, feeling the need to just get out and away from everything and everyone and he's made sure to keep himself relatively bundled up lest he end up sick again.

When a breeze gently drifts by, crisp and cool and allowing strands of silver to blow around his face, Riku catches sight of a drifting petal that falls from the tree and, perhaps without even realizing so, he holds his hand out and allows the petal to land in his palm.

The memory that it contains is one that seems almost ironic considering current circumstances of people within his life. It's distorted, perhaps a bit scratchy in a way, but it shows a sleeping Sora encased in what looks like a bubble. Standing outside that bubble and staring to the sleeping Sora is Riku, dressed in black and donning the blindfold much as he still does within this world. Off to the side, Naminé is there, sitting at a long table and seemingly sketching in a book, though she doesn't seem to address Riku within the memory. Gently, he reaches out with a gloved hand and presses it to the front of the bubble and the strongest emotion that can be felt even with watching this memory unfold... is grief.

It figures this memory would show itself now of all times and, to be honest, he almost finds it funny, as if a silent punishment personally dished out for him. Well-played, Tree of Memories.

Riku, of course, tries to brush off the memory and any feelings that might be attached to it. Though one can't exactly deny that the air around him seems a lot more chillier than anywhere else near the tree. ]

( IT'S RAINING, IT'S POURING )
[ What had started out as something that should have taken maybe ten minutes at most has turned into a good thirty minutes standing outside the tea shop in the pouring rain.

The weather hasn't been the greatest as of late and yet Riku thought he could pick up this box of tea for Cloud and be out of here before it started to come down like it is now. How wrong he apparently was. Thankfully, he's standing under the awning of the shop, arms crossed, blindfold on, finger tapping against the box of tea he holds. The rain doesn't seem to be letting up anytime soon and the shop has closed, leaving Riku out here in the damp without an umbrella. He sighs, head lolling to the side as he shifts his weight to one leg, contemplating the thought of just sucking it up and walking back to Cloud's in this weather. ]

It's never going to stop...

[ Maybe you're stuck under here with him. Maybe you're passing by. Maybe you have an umbrella to lend to him. Or maybe you're out enjoying the rain. Whatever the case, Riku's not looking too happy... and the frost that's come to coat the tips of his shoes is a little bit of a hint to that. ]

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[His grip tightens on his arm.]

You're lying.

[ Falling silent, Riku attempts to tug his arm away from Ven... just like always... pulling away from others, allowing himself to deal with it all on his own... even suffer on his own. ]

It's nothing.

[Nope, not letting go.

Frustration and worry surrounds him, the way Ven refuses to let him go.]

Stop pulling away from people who want to help you.

[ Well if he's not going to let go, Riku is just going to tug a little harder. ]

Why do you want to help me? I'm nothing to you. I'm not Sora.

Why does it matter if you're Sora or not? I know you're not Sora.

[The wind picks up around them, a warm breeze that slowly continues to rise in response to the slowly growing anger, the frustration.

The helplessness.]

I want to help you because you're my friend, too. Because even if we don't know each other, you're still important to me.

[ The warmth from that breeze contrasts greatly to the building ice within his chest and Riku can only stare at Ven in surprise, maybe even confusion behind that blindfold at those words. ]

Why? [ He barely manages to get out. ] Why am I important to you?

[ It's because of Sora he can hear a voice whisper in the back of his mind. Because that's what it is... isn't it? ]

Because you're my friend. You helped me when I first came here and even when you keep trying to pull away, you still looked out for me.

[Each words rings with honesty, deep blue eyes staring at that blindfold.]

Because even without Sora, you'd still become someone important to me.

[ Because you're my friend.

It's strange how those four little words can make Riku pause, make him stare to those blue eyes that somehow seem to pierce through his blindfold. It's... so like Sora to say such a thing and yet... Ven feels different, the warmth that comes from the wind that whips around them proof enough of that.

The chill that wraps around his heart... somehow, it softens some and like spring coming to melt away the snow from winter, everything suddenly feels... warm.

Of course, it's not as easy as that (this is Riku after all) and it's with a jerk away from Ven that he turns and coughs as he clutches at his chest and much as before when it had been just him and Arden... he coughs up shards of ice there on the ground. ]

Riku!

[He goes around him, eyebrows furrowed once he sees the ice shards.]

[ Despite the whole coughing up shards of ice and how it more or less burns his throat while doing so, Riku holds a hand out as if to keep Ventus away from him. It's... a little difficult for him to speak and so, he jerks his head away, wanting to be away from Ventus and not have him see this. ]

[He feels helpless, the wind reacting in the way it picks up even more and surrounds them. It's as if it's afraid, as if Ven can't be able to help Riku. That the ice will end up being the thing to keep him frozen.

Then he thinks of what Arden showed him when they first met.

Being able to manifest emotions the way you want it to. Dunamis. Ven hasn't experimented with it yet (his control over magic has never been the best, not like Aqua's), but he places his hands on Riku's shoulder. He thinks of Sora, of his best friends, of their light. He thinks about how happy they've all made him, of Aqua helping him when he's low and of Terra who's always been a rock to him.

He thinks of their smiles - bright and shining.

Happiness and warmth, that's what they made him think. The wind around them settles, playful and warm, almost as if brushing against Riku and embracing him with comfort.]

[ The warmth that comes to wrap around them... wrap around him is so gentle in a way that is different from Sora's, Riku finds. Sora is bright and shining, like the summer sun pouring down on your face in clear blue skies. But this warmth... this warmth that comes from Ven... it's gentle and soft and caresses his skin as a springtime breeze would, carrying with it the smell of what he thinks might be soft rain.

It touches his throat, pushes against his chest, and Riku, with his head turned away from Ventus, feels the warmth that comes from Ven rolling across his skin and it feels wonderful against his shoulders... even better on his throat.

Another cough, fingers gently lift to touch at one of Ven's hands and, still without speaking, he brings Ven's hand to touch at his throat and hums a little at the warmth that seems to melt the ice within. ]

[He concentrates on the emotion, not once letting up the magic. His control is faulty since he's still not used to it, the wind only remaining the way it is with Ven's desire to help, to fight off this frustration of seeing Riku in this state.

The memories of his friends, their happiness and warmth strong in his mind.

Aqua's smile. Terra's jokes.

Sora's light.

The wind falters due to his surprise when Riku moves his hand towards his throat, but it picks up again; this time, happy. Like the prickling of sunlight that filters through grey clouds, bringing in the warmth of a new day, the light of a dawn.]

[ With the blindfold shielding his eyes, it's difficult to see that Riku has allowed them to close while focusing on how warm his throat suddenly feels. It's as if he's swallowed sunshine and gentle rays of sunlight themselves drip from Ven's fingertips to his skin.

It's only after a moment and another cough or two with a couple shards of ice that seem much smaller in size that Riku finally pulls Ven's hand away from his throat but gently so; he can finally breathe a little better now.

The chill he can still feel deep within his chest but, for the moment, it seems to have receded and he no longer feels ice pushing its way through him like shards of glass. ]

You didn't have to...

I wanted to.

[Ven huffs, crossing his arms and frowns at him.]

I'd do anything to help my friends. You're no exception to that.

[ There's a quiet sense of what feels like shame that overcomes Riku and he turns to look away from Ven, hand clutching at his arm as he does so. It's not that he doesn't appreciate the help because it was painful to have that ice be coughed up... it's still painful to have that chill wrapped around his heart and yet... it somehow feels... less now.

But... for Ven to see this... he sighs softly. ]

Thanks...

Don't thank me. It's just what friends do.

[He keeps close to Riku just in case. The wind has settled now, Ven's emotions calming down in relief at seeing Riku okay.]

I won't make you tell me what's wrong, but stop holding it all in, too. [....The words seem ironic, really. But details.]

[ Clearing his throat, fingers gently touch at his chest before he casts a sidelong glance to Ventus, noting how close he seems to remain beside him, more than likely to ensure that an encore performance doesn't suddenly happen. ]

Don't you do the same?

[...

Ven huffs again, looking at the tree.]

I never said I didn't, but you're the one who's hurting more right now.

[ An interesting choice of words there, Ven. Ones that Riku doesn't fail to notice. ]

So then you are hurting and trying to pretend you're not.

[ A sigh, he glances off to the tree. ]

Sounds familiar.

Am I pretending?

[A genuine question.

And another wind - natural, this time - blows and Ven reaches up, fingers brushing against a petal. At the touch, a memory appears of Ventus standing on the familiar setting of Destiny Islands, but there's another person, too.

A masked boy, dressed in an outfit Riku should be familiar with.

"Fine. Then I'll give you a reason to fight."

"What?"

"Come and find me at the one and only place to spawn the x-blade-- the Keyblade Graveyard. There you're gonna see me choke the life out of Terra and Aqua."

Ventus curls his hand around the petal, crushing it.]

[ The image- no, the memory that unfolds before them due to the petal that Ventus catches within his hand... it's not one that Riku knows, not one of his own and instead... it belongs to Ventus.

The islands are just as he had seen before when he had been teaching Ven how to communicate through the amulets. But it's the unfamiliar figure that appears, what it is that he's wearing that catches Riku's full attention, along with the words from the exchange that follows.

But Ventus comes to crush the petal and Riku is left standing there in silence. He knows next to nothing of Ventus aside from what he's been told by the blond and yet... he can't help but somehow feel for him. ]

Was this before you came here?

[Well, this explains why Ven has now resolved not to get too close to the Tree. He knows it's a memory, an old one. It doesn't show anything too recent - he's not sure how Riku would be able to handle seeing that. Or rather, him unmasked.

Ventus shakes his head.]

No. It's an older memory.

[Before that final battle. Before he shattered his own heart along with Vanitas and the x-blade. Before he took refuge in Sora's heart.]

[ An older memory... but how old is the question?

Riku stands there, staring to Ventus in silence and wondering just how much he can pry, just how much he should ask, just how much the blond will want him to know. After all, he pushes others away when they ask too many questions, when they try to get to the bottom of his discomfort... who is he to do the same to Ven?

But, still, he feels the need to ask something... maybe the one thing Ven might not answer. ]

Who... was that?

Vanitas.

[His Darkness.

And while Ven may answer that, he knows too that this isn't something he's ready to talk to Riku about. Not now. Maybe not yet. Or ever. Not when the wounds are still fresh as it was years ago.]

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